The Ninja and the Nomicon
by Animeluver4evertimes2
Summary: This is Beauty and the Beast Randy Cunningham style! What happens when, while looking for his mother in a set of deep, dark woods, Randy Cunningham encounters, not only a creepy-looking castle and talking lamps, but also a monster with a sharp tongue and an even sharper wit. Can these two fall in love? Warning: Has boyxboy love! Don't like, don't read! RandyxHuman!Nomicon
1. Beginnings

**Animeluver4evertime2: So, I know that I have other stories that I should be writing for (and I am!), it's just that I have recently gotten into the RC9GN fandom! And it just won't let me go! With that, I have decided to contribute to the fandom with my fanfiction! These kind of stories are rare in this fandom, so I thought I would write one! This a fairytale AU, so the characters may and probably will be a bit OOC. I will try to make them in-character as much as I can, but I don't know how that will pan out. We will just have to wait and see. And, before I forget, this WILL be shonen-ai, meaning boy's love! If you don't like, get out now. Without further adieu, please enjoy! BTW, this is based off of the Disney version! I also don't own Randy Cunningham 9th Grade Ninja, nor Beauty and the Beast.! Their respectful owners do!**

**Chapter One: Beginnings**

_Long ago, how long ago none can really say for sure, there existed a kingdom deep in the middle of a luscious forest riddled with plenty of lovely green pine trees and dotted with various flora and fauna. In the very middle of that forest, there lay a castle, which, some would say, glistened like a beautiful diamond because of the marble it was made of. The castle was decorated with beautiful stain-glassed windows and a cornucopia of statues adorned the tops of the castle's towers. However beautiful the outside of the building was, its' ruler was another matter entirely. _

_The master of the castle went by the name of Nomi Conikos the Third. He was known as an arrogant, stubborn, and rude individual who only cared about himself. He pushed around his servants, not even caring about their well-being, and spent his bountiful fortune tending to his own wishes and desires. Yet, he was the youngest ruler the kingdom had ever know; he was but fifteen when he inherited the throne after his parents had suffered a gruesome death at the hands of an assassin. That incident had caused an uproar in the kingdom, but only some were brave enough to tell the reason why. Nomi knew the reason why his people were on high alert; after all, he knew that the Ninja of his kingdom had killed his parents. He had witnessed the event take place right in front of him, after all. However, what really changed his life occurred but a few short months after he took over his parent's kingdom... _

_It was a dark and stormy night, the rain pattered hard against the glass-stained windows of Nomi's castle while lightning streaked across the cloud-cloaked sky. One could not see even a speck of the inky night sky while the wind blew cold and harshly at the trees outside. Nomi was bored out of his mind that night, for there was nothing for him to do and there were no problems in the kingdom for him to get involved in. The young king sighed as he noticed a maid walking up to him at a slow and respectful pace, not wanting to disturb her majesty's thoughts. She stopped a few feet away from Nomi, an apprehensive smile on her face while she bowed once and proceeded to speak. _

"_Your majesty." she greeted and bowed again, waiting for the king to giver her permission to speak. The youth gave a nod in acknowledgment, willing the maid to continue. The woman visibly relaxed and continued with her news. _

"_There is someone at the door that requests to see you. They say that it is an urgent matter and that they require to see you in person." The maid told the news to her lord, waiting to see his reaction at the news. Well, Nomi had been quite bored, and this mysterious person did piqué his curiosity, so he decided to go and at least see the person at the door. With that, Nomi dismissed the maid and made his way towards the front of his abode. He would come to regret the action later on, but though nothing of it at the time._

_At the door, he came face to face with the most hideous human being he had ever had the displeasure to lay his eyes on. The person had requested to stay the night, seeing as how hard it was raining and how cold it was becoming, which Nomi had absolutely refused the request. He complained and shouted at the revolting man, commenting on his dreadfully off-putting state and to not bother him with unimportant personal matters. Nomi then asked how the man would ever begin to repay him for letting the stranger stay in his luxurious home. The man showed him a green amulet and stated that if the king were to let him stay, that he would give him the amulet. The other stared at the amulet for a few seconds; it glowed an otherworldly shade of green and was in the shape of the Ninja's symbol. Nomi scoffed at this and denied the request again, for why would he want an object that represented the being that took away his family?He even had the audacity to point at the door, signaling that the man should leave. _

_It was then that there was a mighty and bright burst of light, and the young king had to shield his eyes. When he opened them, in place of the man who he had bodily insulted , there stood a handsome sorcerer who was raging with anger. The sorcerer pointed at the youth and told him that all of the rumors he had heard of him were true and that he was even worse in person. The powerful man told Nomi that had he permitted to let him stay in the state he had arrived in, then he would have let him stay as he was. But, since he all but banished him from his home, that he needed to learn his lesson. Nomi begged and pleaded to the sorcerer to let him go and forget the events that transpired that night, but his pleas were for not. _

_With a powerful burst of green magic, the sorcerer fired at the young king. Nomi began to change, pain coursing through his entire being; it felt like fire was coursing through his veins instead of blood, and he could feel his body morphing into something he desperately did not want to become. He could feel his teeth sharping into razor-like fangs, his hands increasing in size, but the worst was when he felt something rip itself out of his back. Many screams and cries of pain and complete and utter agony resounded off the walls throughout his large home, but there was nothing nobody could do. It felt like an eternity had passed before the nerve-racking pain had ceased, and when Nomi desperately gazed into a nearby mirror, he let out an inhuman screech of sorrow and woe. He turned to the sorcerer and let loose a growl filled with raw anger and dominance, threatening the sorcerer to change him back. The sorcerer just gave a barking laugh of pity and began to tell him some parting words _

"_I gave you a form that matches your true nature, and it reflects your inner putridness. I will give you a chance to redeem yourself, young Nomi Conikos. You remember the green amulet that you so quickly rejected? Well, it will be with you for a while, for when it stops glowing, you will have run out of time. You have that amount of time to find someone that will see past your ugly visage and fall in love with the real you that lies deep inside your soul. If you do not, then you will keep that form forever. For now, I leave you, but the curse stands not just for you, but for your entire castle and the people inside it as well. Good-bye, young king."_

_With those parting words, the sorcerer's green magic became thousands of little swirls of green sand and traveled throughout Nomi's castle, changing the outside appearance of his castle into a grotesque, Gothic version of his beautiful abode, making it look like a shadow of its' former self while his servants became various appliances, literally becoming a part of the castle. With that, the sorcerer was gone, and it was as if Nomi's castle had frozen in time, along with its' residents. Nomi flew into a rage, destroying all of the paintings that bore his face and all of the mirrors in the castle, just so he couldn't see how truly disgusting he had become and so that he wouldn't feel the pain of having to look at his old face. After he had completed his task, he slumped to the ground in defeat and eyed the glowing amulet on the floor, along with a hand-mirror that he had not noticed before. The youth picked up the mirror, fully intent of shattering it into a thousand pieces, when he looked through it and noticed a boy about his age reflected back at him, clearly showing Nomi it was a magical mirror. The item was likely left behind by the sorcerer, perhaps in order to show him what was going on in the outside world. He stopped himself from breaking the delicate object, promptly picked up both the mirror and the amulet, and retired to his living quarters. Years passed by in the blink of an eye, but Nomi's castle stood in the middle of the now scary and creepy woods, never-changing. _

_It was a year before the young king's eighteenth birthday when our true story really begins..._

**Animeluver4evertime2: With that, the first chapter is finished! Tell me, how do you all like it? I know that Nomi isn't really like how I described him, but he will get better! You'll see! Did anybody see a little foreshadowing in there? Tell me what I did right! Tell me what I did wrong! Heck, you can even type the word chicken and I would be happy! And, don't worry! The story will get better with time! That's all I have to say! Other than the fact that I plan to be punctual with this fanfic as a way of getting back into the habit of writing. I plan to get out a chapter every weekend; Saturday or Sunday, it doesn't matter, just one of those days. That's it! See you all next time!**


	2. Enter the Ninja

**Animeluver4evertime2: I just can't stop typing! I am really liking the concept of the story, and I would love to keep the ball rolling so that I can stay ahead of the game and my deadline! So, without further prolonging, Chapter Two awaits! I hope you enjoy this almost as much as I enjoy typing it! The Ninja's role will be explained in this chapter. I do NOT own Randy Cunningham 9th Grade Ninja or Beauty and the Beast! Their respectful owners do! **

**Chapter Two: Enter the Ninja**

Unbeknownst to young Nomi Conikos, as the years passed by, a little village was prospering just outside of his ghastly woods. Because of their king's sudden absence, a majority of the villagers of the Conikos kingdom had decided to leave and abandon their homes. However, only one of the villages stayed, and because they were the only residents left, the townspeople were able to grow and branch out. The kingdom of Conikos was the only kingdom throughout the lands to contain a rare substance that went be the name of Stank; an element that could be used for both good and bad. Even so, the village thrived on the massive trade of the element, and they soon became known for it. The town was known as the village of Norrisville, and this is where the story begins.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining brightly while the sky was crystal clear with not a cloud in sight. Everywhere anyone went they could hear the sweet sounds of birds chirping and squirrels scampering about, both preparing for the winter that was coming closer with every passing moment. The villagers of Norrisville were bustling about, getting ready for a long day filled with baking, making, and harvesting Stank. However, there was one certain individual who was taking it easy and was simply taking a walk down a random street, smelling the sweet scent of fresh bread and the smoky wafts of meat while he read his novel.

The young teen was known as Randy Cunningham.

If the townspeople of Norrisville had to identify but one person out of all the people in the village, they all would describe the young teen. It wasn't very hard to see why. He had the most interesting hair anyone had ever seen in the village; it was the deepest shade of purple and was spiked in every direction while he had a very lean body. Whenever he walked down the streets, the people around him would never stop staring, and he was always the talk of the town. Though, Randy could never imagine what was so strange about him! Sure, his hair was less-than normal, and he might have been skinnier than most males his age, but that didn't mean everyone had to talk about him as if he were an animal! Especially when he was around, he could always see someone whispering and pointing at him. Randy could only think about what they said in his presence while he could only imagine what kind of conversations he had managed to spring behind his back. He thought the talking would stop a week after his family's arrival to the small town, but the gossip still ran strong even after three months!

The purple-haired teen sighed as he heard the whispers of a small group of girls near the bakery. He glanced up from his novel for a split second before he quickly went back to scanning the worn pages, hearing the girls giggle as he passed by. People like them gave Randy a splitting headache, but he had learned to ignore them in the short amount of time he had live in Norrisville. Instead, he focused all of his attention on the book in his hands; though it looked bland and boring on the outside, the teen found the tale inside the book's covers to be quite riveting. The story was one full of adventure and romance, where a young male had to take on the persona of a ninja and keep his home safe from the clutches of pure evil. The book-keeper had told Randy that the novel was based on the tale of Norrisville's own Ninja, and that was all it took for Randy to become interested. He had been reading the pages for quite some time, but he felt himself sympathizing with the main character in the story. In truth, the reason for feeling like the ninja in the novel and why he was so fascinated by ninjas surpassed normal curiosity for Randy had his own secret which he could not tell anyone.

For you see, Randy Cunningham was the Ninja of Norrisville.

For eight hundred years, the kingdom of Conikos has been protected by a Ninja. What the villagers don't know is that every four years a new ninja is chosen and is given the mask to wear as well as the responsibilities that come with it. However, for the last few years or so, havoc and chaos has only been stricken in the town of Norrisville, so they had deemed him the protector of the village: the Ninja of Norrisville. Up until a few months ago, the Ninja had made daily appearances to defeat monsters and to free people who had accidentally inhaled Stank or had been Stank'd by a mysterious being that everyone referred to as The Sorcerer. However, due to unknown reasons, the Ninja had disappeared one day and left no trace behind that even hinted at what had happened to them. After that, days passed by both quickly and peacefully; some had even forgotten that there used to be someone who had risked their life to protect their village. The Ninja had almost become a myth, that is, until three months ago.

Randy and his mother had moved to Norrisville because of the many job opportunities that came with the mining of Stank. It had been a couple of days after they had settled into their new home when one day, the young teen had returned home while his mother had gone out to do some shopping. He had stepped into his room only to find a little black box sitting atop his bed, and it had looked innocent enough. When Randy opened it though, he discovered that the item inside the box was anything but innocent. Located inside was the Ninja's mask, and it dawned on the purple-haired male a few minutes later that he had been chosen to be Norrisville's new Ninja. Sure, Randy had heard various tales of the protector of Norrisville countless times, but to actually live and experience all of those countless stories was another matter entirely. He had received a weight to put on his shoulders, and it was Randy's weight to carry and his alone.

The young teen shook his head to clear the thoughts of the Ninja from his mind and continued on past the confectionery store on the way to his home. While he was walking, he felt a presence creep up behind him and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes and just speed up. He ignored the person behind him, at least, until they tapped on his shoulder. Once. Twice. A third time and Randy was fed up with trying to be polite and patient. He spun around on his heel and held in the groan of utter annoyance at the smirk that met his eyes. He had had a slight sliver of hope that the person behind him was not, in fact, the person that he never wanted to see. Though, if Randy had to admit it, he never was that lucky, was he? No, the person who just happened to tap his shoulder just had to be Theresa Fowler.

Theresa Fowler was a special kind of girl, and not the good type of special. Apparently, from what Randy could gather from the mindless gossip that was an essential part of Norrisville, Theresa was the daughter of the second-richest family in the entire kingdom of Conikos (only beat by the McFist family), and that, because of her wealth, she wore only the finest quality of clothing and ate the finest food and all that juice. Truthfully, Randy wouldn't care about a girl like Theresa, but it was really hard to ignore someone who was plain obsessed with you. Yes, it was true. From the moment Theresa had laid her beady little eyes on the young teen, she had immediately asked him out on a date, which Randy had naturally declined. Still, Theresa persisted, stating that the two most beautiful beings in Norrisville deserved to be together and, for that reason, they should hook up. What Randy thought was that, since he was new in town, he had an air of mystery and adventure around him, and that that was the reason Theresa liked him. He really couldn't stand the female, and he voiced his displeasure at every opportunity that appeared. Which was a lot, much to his dismay. Life was really wonk.

"Hello my dearest Randy!" Theresa greeted, putting a delicate arm around the other teen's waist as if the duo were already dating. The purple-haired teen actually gave out an audible groan of annoyance this time and uncurled the female's arm off of his waist. Randy gave Theresa a glare while the other remained oblivious to how he felt, ultimately deciding that putting both of her arms around his waist was better.

"Come now Randy! Why must you fight the inevitable? You and I both know that we are destined to be together! Do you not see it? The most beautiful girl in the village surely deserves the handsomest boy in the village, and vice versa. Do you not agree?" Theresa asked, fluttering her eyelashes in an attempt to act cute. Randy rolled his eyes at the gesture and turned his head to reply, after prying her arms off of him.

"If I haven't told you a million times, which I'm pretty sure I have, then I'll tell you again. I won't go out with you Theresa, so why don't you just leave me the juice alone?!" Randy replied in a firm tone, pushing Theresa an arm's length away and making sure to take two steps back in order to get some distance between them. Truthfully, the young teen had enough of the prissy female and her wonk logic on why the two should be together. It was plain stupid! The other, unfortunately, didn't agree with Randy's thoughts as a pout made its way onto Theresa's face as she crossed her arms in disdain.

"Oh yeah?! Well, you are rejecting THE prettiest girl in the entire kingdom of Conikos, and you should be grateful that I am so persistent in my offer! I actually care about you, unlike that no-good Ninja who just up and abandoned Norrisville! I mean, no one has seen him in, like, what? Six months? I bet he thought he was better than us and left because he was tired of watching over us. Well-" Theresa rambled on, her voice raising several octaves the longer she talked. However, when it came to the Ninja, she had taken it too far and that made Randy livid. He snapped.

"Well, you don't know anything about the Ninja! Maybe he he's sustained a huge injury or something and is struggling to survive or is just plain dead! Have you ever considered that, you spoiled little rich girl?! Do NOT talk about people if you don't even know anything about them! It makes you look stupid! Well, even more stupid than you normally are." Randy shouted back at the teen girl, showing just how mad he was at her. He might have taken it too far, but frankly, he didn't care at that moment. When she insulted the Ninja, she insulted Randy. And that was NOT okay. Theresa took a step back, mouth wide open in disbelief at the words Randy had just let loose from his mouth. Her body shook with raw anger, and she growled at him before she retorted.

"You WILL be mine, Randy Cunningham! Just you wait and see!" Theresa pointed at the purple-haired teen, making sure to smack the book out of Randy's hand before she turned on her heel and quickly fled the scene, beckoning to a girl that was a few feet behind the pair. The girl took one indifferent look at Randy, rolled her eyes, and followed Theresa with a hand on her hip. Randy huffed at the female's exit and knelt down to pick up his novel. He brushed off the mud that had gotten on the pages while he slowly waked back to his house, ticked off at the event that had just transpired.

He had thought Theresa had been bad before, but she had seriously taken it too far when she started bad-mouthing the Ninja. Sure, Randy hadn't known that the Ninja had been missing for half a year, probably more so, but was it really the Ninja's fault? He had heard that the Ninja didn't show up unless the town was under attack or in trouble, but was that the only reason Theresa was so honkin' pissed off? Sure, Randy wasn't the brightest bulb, but even he could tell that there was a different reason why Theresa was mad at the Ninja. She had looked like she was about to cry when she stomped off, and Randy was getting curious. In fact, he hadn't heard much about the Ninja when he first arrived, and even three months later he still heard zip about the protector and hero of Norrisville. What deep, dark secrets was Norrisville hiding from the Cunninghams?

This train of thought continued until the young teen reached his home. He snapped his book shut and opened the door, making sure that he wiped his shoes off before stepping inside. He passed by his room and tossed his novel onto his bed before quickly walking to the basement, scared that his mother had blown it up. Again. Randy's mom was a bit of a scientist in the sense that she constantly experimented on different types of pies. Yes, that's right. Pies. Randy had heard his mother go on and on when he was a child that it was her life's dream to win the International Pie Contest over in the village of Flacksville. She had entered every year, but she had never won. Every year, she would say that there was always next year and went right back to baking. Randy had to admit that he was proud of his mom for never giving up on her dream, but he doubted it would ever be realized. Still, he supported her one hundred percent. The purple-haired male was halfway down the stairs when he heard that all-too-familiar shout.

"Randy sweetie! Please come down here! I think I've got it this time!" Ms. Cunningham yelled upstairs, somehow knowing that her son was home. It always freaked the cheese out of Randy every time, and he was starting to think that his mom was part Ninja herself. The young teen opened the door to the basement and promptly closed it before he was assaulted by a forkful of pie. He looked up to his mother looking down on her son with a bright smile on her face. Randy just couldn't say no to his mom, so he sucked it up and ate the pie that was offered to him.

His eyes opened wide in surprise as his taste buds were smothered with the sweet pastry. Randy had to admit, his mom's pies in the past were less-than desirable and he had just wanted to vomit at the mere thought of them, but this one was different. This certain pie tasted like a blend of every single berry in existence with just a hint of sugar while the crust was that perfect blend of crunchy and soft. The purple-haired teen grinned while he took a step forward and gave his mom a bone-crushing hug.

"Wow! Mom, this is really good! I think it's the absolute cheese and you are totally gonna win this year!" Randy beamed at his mother while she breathed a sigh of utter relief at the comment. She had been afraid that her baby boy wouldn't like it and that she would have to try again. She knew that Randy said that every year, but most of the time, she knew he was just saying that to make her feel better. This time when he said it though, she knew that he really meant it this time around. Ms. Cunningham returned the hug with vigor before letting Randy go. She had to hurry now; after all, the International Pie Contest was in a matter of days. She had to leave soon if she wanted to make it to Flacksville in time to submit her entry.

"Now Randy dear, as you know, I'm going away for a couple of days, so please stay safe and remember to eat." Ms. Cunningham reminded her sweet son while she attached her beloved horse Bucky to the cart that held her belongings. She gave Randy one last hug and kiss on his forehead before she mounted Bucky. She gave one last wave before giving a loud hi-yah! so she could start her long journey to the contest. Every year Ms. Cunningham felt guilty that she abandoned her son for a few days so that she could live out her lifelong dream, and she desperately hoped that her son always understood. She always started her trips with one wayward tear, and she urged Bucky to go faster as a way of leaving all of her doubts behind.

Randy kept waving until he could no longer see his mom. He wouldn't want his mom to know, but he kind of liked it when she left for her contest year after year. The silence of being alone for a few select days gave him the chance to think. He didn't like the act of thinking, but when he was alone, he couldn't help it. Randy's head would be filled with random thoughts the entire time his mother was gone, and the thing was, he couldn't stop the many thoughts that danced inside his mind. This year wouldn't be any different in that his brain would be cluttered with many things that he would stress over. It would, however, be different because he had something to think about before hand.

He was, after all, the Ninja.

**Animeluver4evertime2: Cut, print, and that's a wrap! That's the end of Chapter Two for ya, and I'm sorry that it was just full of so much drama! It was necessary drama! Tell me how I did please, and what I could improve on. Criticism is nice! I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed typing it! If you want to, please review! Truthfully, I'm just ecstatic to see that people are reading it! Many thanks to the people who reviewed, and I would like to take the time to respond to those reviews right now. **

**SickEmoKitty: Thank you! I will!**

**Whatimnotatschoo: Thanks for the criticism! I really appreciated it, and I will try to fix it in future chapters.**

**Nay: Thank you for the compliment. Glad it's intriguing. **

**Nerdgirl3: Read your comment and totally LOVED it! XD Who knows? Maybe that's how it's gonna go down at the end... I am very glad that this story made you happy! That's all I want; for people to smile because of what I wrote. Cheesy, but true.**

**BlueTogi12: Thank you! I will try to update every weekend; it only depends on how much homework I get. **

**Guests: Thank you for the comments! Both of them made me straight up double over in laughter! That is TOTALLY how Nomi would've treated the servants. **

**Chihuahua Rocks: Thank you for being one of the first to comment on my little story! It makes me so very happy to know that you like it! Truthfully, you are one of my biggest inspirations in writing this story and I am a HUGE fan of yours to begin with anyway! So, to me, it's a real honor to hear from you!**

**Anyway... Again, thanks for everyone that has even looked at this humble story and I'll catch you all later! **


	3. Wolf Puncher 5: Creepy Castle Edition

**Animeluver4evertime2: Wow, it's been a while since I last updated, hasn't it? I'm SO terribly sorry! Senior year is starting to consume my whole life! But! I made a promise to myself that I would try to be prompt with my updates, and I intend to get back on track. Hey! By the way! Who's been watching/will watch the new episodes? To me, they've been pretty honkin' bruce so far! Who's with me?! Anyways! On with the chapter! All I've gotta say is I hope all of you there enjoy!**

**Chapter Three: Wolf-Puncher 5: Creepy Castle Edition**

Randy gave a tiny sigh as he let his gaze travel to the setting sun, admiring the sight of the many shades of reds, yellows, and oranges as they all blended together like they were dancing with one another. Nature was beautiful, the purple-haired teen thought at that moment, and with good reason. Unlike his own rapidly-changing life, nature had a sort of consistency to it. Nature didn't constantly change, and when it did change, one could predict when it would happen. Almost everything about nature was familiar to everyone who witnessed it, and Randy envied nature for that which he couldn't have.

The young male craved for the normal life he had before moving to Norrisville; how simple everything had been back then. If one were to ask Randy about how he had spent his days the previous years, he would be able to answer that those days were as predictable as the seasons changing: simple. However, these days, Randy's days were filled with constant changes which all lead back to his secret identity as the Ninja. All he craved was the predictability that the four seasons could boast about having and the familiarity of that which rivaled the rising and setting of the sun. He gave a sad chuckle and shook his head to himself slowly. Those days of the past were gone, replaced with days filled with worry, fear, and hope: worry that people would figure out his secret, fear of the monsters he was destined to face, and hope that he would never have to kill as his other persona.

Without noticing, Randy's feet had led him to a small field devoid of any flora except for some dandelions that were scattered about and some tall green grass. The young male instantly relaxed at the small breeze that had started up, and he held out his arms while a small grin made its way onto his face. While moments of peace were far and rare, Randy milked them for what they were worth. After all, who knew if the next day would be the first time he would have to fight a monster as the Ninja? The purple-haired teen didn't, and he wasn't sure that anyone could ever be sure for that matter. That was reason enough for him.

He squeezed his eyes shut tight, wanting to block out everything except for the soft caresses the wind was granting him. He didn't want to dwell on the fact that he lived a double life, for sometimes it was just honkin' hard being the Ninja.

However, as Randy was reveling in the serene atmosphere the field of grass provided him, his mother, Rachel Cunningham, was witnessing a scene that could surely give a village dweller nightmares for the remainder of their lives...

Ms. Cunningham furrowed her brows in both confusion and frustration. When she had gone for the International Pie Contest the previous year, she had followed a trail she had taken for many years and, therefore, had taken the time to memorize the path. But she soon realized after leaving Randy behind at their abode that she had to travel on an entirely different road to get to Flacksville, seeing as how the Cunningham family had moved to Norrisville but three months prior. In the beginning, she had thought she had known where she was going, but now, Ms. Cunningham knew two things for sure.

One: She was desperately and hopelessly lost out in the middle of nowhere.

And Two: She had forgotten her map back at her house.

Ms. Cunningham had to restrain herself from face palming at the idiocy of her humongous mistake. Her son had warned her about this right before she had left, but what did so do? She had blatantly ignored Randy and took off without the rolled-up piece of paper, stating that she knew the way and that she wouldn't need the map to guide her. Ms. Cunningham had waved him off and told him that he was worrying too much and that he should learn to relax once in a while. She had been so sure that her son had been overreacting, but look where that had gotten her.

The female clenched her eyes shut and gripped the reins harder, wishing that she had listened to her baby boy at least once in her life. Ms. Cunningham urged Bucky to slow down so that she could gather her thoughts. The horse obeyed and lessened his pace, both worried and concerned for his master. Rachel realized that, all throughout Randy's life, she had never even considered his thoughts or emotions on any decision she had made. All of her life, she had been trying to win a stupid pie contest, abandoning her son year after year for such a wonk event and title of Pie Queen. Then, with a gasp, she covered her mouth as she had realized that she had just up and told Randy the day before they moved to Norrisville that they were moving at all. She had just sprung it on him like that, without even consulting him on the matter.

Rachel just wanted to break down and cry right then and there on Bucky's back. She had neglected her son and his needs for practically all of his life, and how did he respond? All Randy ever did was smile, give her a thumbs-up, and tell her that she should follow her dream and see it through. But, what about her baby boy? What were his dreams? What were his wants and desires? What did HE think about moving to Norrisville? All of these questions ran through Rachel's mind as one in particular stuck out the most: Why had she been such a failure as a mother?

While she had been lost in her forest of thoughts, Bucky had slowed down to a complete stop in front of a fork in the road. The horse first looked towards the left, where the sun was shining magnificently as it was setting, the glow practically radiating off of the beautiful flora that was covering the left path. Then he looked to the right, and he nearly cowered back in fear. The scenery on the right path was less-than desirable, and that was putting it lightly. The sky was darkened with clouds, appearing as if it were going to rain. Everywhere, dead trees were littered, their arms stretched out and it looked as if they would grab some simpleton if they weren't being careful. Bucky could spot bats hiding within the tree's branches, and there was dead grass as far as the eye could see. He gave a soft 'neigh' to try and alert his master, but when Rachel didn't respond, he started to head for the left path.

Bucky had taken one step with his hoof when he felt a harsh tug on his reins urging him to go right. Rachel, in her air of despair, wanted nothing more than to just return back home and hug her sweet baby boy into a coma until he knew that she was going to listen to him from then on. Those thoughts made her unconsciously tug on the reins so that Bucky went right. The young buck didn't really want to venture into the deep, dark, and terrifying woods, but if that's what his master wanted, then he had to obey. And with that, they started down the rough, beaten path, not even knowing that they were sealing Randy's fate as they unknowingly traveled closer and closer to a rather Gothic-looking castle...

It took quite some time for Ms. Cunningham to finally surface from the tragic storm that was her guilt and it was the first time she really had gotten a real good look at her surroundings. Her eyes widened in panic as her eyes drifted left to right, right to left several times before she let out a little squeak of fear. Were were they?! The woods looked as if they had originated from some bad horror movie or fairytale, and she had a sneaking feeling that something was watching her, waiting for the right time to strike. The tension in the air was thick and Rachel found it was hard to breath, though whether it was simply the air itself or rather, that her lungs were filled with utter terror that there was no room for oxygen, she didn't know. All she knew at that moment was that they had to get out of there and fast, before something really DID come out and decide that a mother and a horse made a fine meal to consume.

The female gripped the reins so hard that her knuckles turned white, and she made to make Bucky turn around, not even noticing that she was even more lost than she had been mere minutes prior. She was so focused on getting out of the creepy woods that she didn't hear the ever-growing louder growls coming from somewhere behind the pair of intruders. Bucky took one step, two steps, three steps back before Rachel noticed the loud cacophony of many different growls, stiffening in pure and raw fear. They really needed to run. With that, Ms. Cunningham snapped the reins and dug her heels gently into Bucky's side, prodding him to start galloping forward, away from the beasts.

"Hi-yah! Come on Bucky! Let's get a move on!" Rachel yelled to her horse, Bucky gaining speed at her words. Ms. Cunningham chanced a look back, and she yelped in fright as she saw five wolves following them at break-neck speed. She quickly whipped her head back around, regretting the small look she had taken. From what the female could gather, all of the wolves were huge, their strength making itself known through their speed and agility. The wolves' growls soon transformed to howls of hunger and roars of satisfaction, glad to finally have some prey to chase.

Seven figures gave chase for what seemed like hours before finally coming upon a cliff. Rachel's reflexes kicked in, and she pulled on Bucky's reins to make him stop before they both plummeted off the cliff. The horse stopped running and slid along the forest floor, the barren land not helping in making the duo slow down. Rachel braced herself for the worst when she noticed that they had stopped moving and they weren't falling to their untimely deaths. However, Ms. Cunningham's relief was short lived for she suddenly was face-to-face with the dangerous pack of wolves. The beasts started circling around the buck and the female, their mouths dripping wet with saliva. Bucky became startled by the looks the wolves were giving him, and he freaked out, thrashing about wildly. The female wasn't prepared for this and she was flung high into the air, landing a few feet in front of the mighty creatures that lusted to rip her throat out.

"Bucky!" Rachel cried out and reached out a hand as if to beckon her horse back to her, but it was for naught. The buck had ran away from the danger, leaving his master to fend for herself. She gave a resigned sigh, knowing that she may not be able to return to her sweet Randy and, in turn, never be able to tell him how terrible a mother she was.

But, that didn't mean she would just give up without a fight.

She stood up quickly, wincing as a sharp pain made itself known in her right wrist. She must have sprained it when Bucky had launched her into the air, but Rachel didn't dwell on the thought for too long. Instead, she ducked between two of the wolves and dashed behind some dead bushes, not caring where she went as long as it was away from her pursuers and not to her doom. She felt many emotions run through her at that moment: fear was an obvious one, but she was also sad that she may never see Randy again, angry at herself for abandoning her only son, and exhilarated from all the adrenaline speeding through her veins. Rachel could hear the pitter-patter of powerful feet getting closer and closer, so she pushed herself to go faster, not seeing the black gate before she ran into it.

Ms. Cunningham flinched at the sudden pain in her hands, glancing up to find herself in front of a black, metal gate, and behind it stood a tall castle, shrouded in darkness. The female had no other option than to try and get behind the gate, away from the beasts that were after her and keep out of danger. She gripped two bars of the metal gate and shook them with great vigor, trying to alert someone of her presence. However, while her actions did create an abundance of noise, it only alerted the wolves of her position, and they quickly raced towards her location. Rachel became rash as she could hear the blood-thirsty creatures coming closer and closer towards her. After what seemed like forever, the gates swung open with the force of a bulldozer and Ms. Cunningham darted forward, feeling relieved for the first time since she had begun her journey. She bounded for the entrance of the building, catching the loud clang of the gate slamming shut.

She didn't stop until she had made it into the castle, and getting inside had been simple, seeing as how the front doors were unlocked. The inside of the structure was frightening, to say the least, more-so than the woods. The building looked old and everything appeared to be covered in a thin layer of dust, causing Rachel to cough every few minutes. It seemed as if the place hadn't been touched for many years, yet the pieces of furniture looked to be pretty modern, if not a little old-fashioned. The female wandered further into the castle, not sensing that there were others watching her.

Unbeknownst to Ms. Cunningham, two pairs of beady little eyes stared at her, trying to see if she would be a harm to the castle or not. Truthfully, a stray candelabra didn't care whether or not the woman brought trouble into the building. In fact, he would much rather there be chaos than silence; after all, it had been silent for way too long. Besides, she looked scared and twitchy, as if she were a wild animal. She needed to be told that she was safe and that she could relax in the luxurious building. He was about to speak up when the clock next to him covertly covered the candelabra's mouth to shut him up.

"Howard! What have I told you about talking to strangers that come into the castle?!" The clock harshly whispered to the candelabra, now known as Howard. He rolled his eyes back at the other before he responded, careful to remain perfectly still like any other random piece of furniture.

"Well, Heidi.", Howard began, looking to see if the woman were close enough to hear their conversation. When he deemed it safe to talk, he continued. "I just thought that since the woman looked as if she would maul anything that got within two feet of her, we could try and calm her down. Ya know, so we don't look like total shoobs." Howard finished with a smirk as he saw his sister Heidi getting angrier with every word he said.

"Well listen here mister. The master doesn't want anyone in here, and once he finds out that there is a human woman in here, we are so totally cheesed." The clock told her brother before he was suddenly picked up by said woman, who waved him from right to left in order to get a better hold on her surroundings.

"Hello? Is anyone out there?" Rachel asked the empty air, swearing that she had just heard two voices. Howard looked back at Heidi and pointed at the woman, nodding his head as if he were asking permission to talk to the person holding him. Of course, he was going to do it anyway, no matter what his sister told him. As predicted, the clock shook her head minutely, so as not to attract the attention of the intruder. The candelabra gave his sister a big grin before opening his big mouth.

"Yeah, there's someone there." He spoke to the female holding him, snickering at the reaction that he received. She had whipped her head sporadically, trying to find the source of the voice she just heard.

"Who's there?!" Ms. Cunningham asked once more, starting to rile up with fear once more as thoughts of spirits and ghosts ran through her head. What if she was going crazy? Then, she felt a light tapping on the back of her head. Slowly, she turned around only to find herself staring into the eyes of the candelabra she was holding. Wait. Eyes?!

"What's up?" Howard questioned, holding up one of his handles as if to give a small wave. Rachel froze for a second before her mind finally started working again, and she did the only logical thing she could think of at that moment.

She fainted.

**Animeluver4evertime2:** **If you guys can believe it, I was going to put a lot more stuff into this chapter, but then I thought that this would be a nice spot to stop for today. I hope I did all right with the action scene; I usually don't write those type of scenes. Tell me what you guys thought! Loved it, hated it, whatever! (Though, if you did hate it, it would be nice to know why.) Sorry for all of the sad stuff! It was necessary! Next chapter, we'll hopefully get to see the entrance of Nomi and get more Randy in there! Till then, I bid you farewell! **


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